Don't Forget To Breathe
by WHOA laicey
Summary: Sharpay is totally against moving from her home in Los Angeles to a new one in Albuquerque. That is, until she meets her cute new neighbor. TROYPAY!
1. Chapter 1: Goodbye California

_HELLO FANFICTERS (or perhaps, 'Fanfiction-ers'? idk)! it's been forever since the last time I've logged on on to this site, let alone written anything. But now, I'm back and better than ever (sort of ;])! I'm so happy to be writing again, because my muse had been gone for so long! _

_Oh & by the way, I should probably clear this up now because I know that I had told some people that I would be writing a sequel to my story **Situations**, I just want to let you know that this is NOT it. This is something totally new. I may go back to that later, but not right now. I'm going to concentrate on this story first, because this is where my muse currently is. :]_

_And now for that good ol' disclaimer; I do not own High School Musical or any of it's characters. :}_

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I stared motionlessly at my empty living room. No more furniture, no more pictures on the wall. Just a vast, open room of nothingness. Even the walls that had once been colored with a lively teal color had been painted over with a bland, unappealing white.

Everything I own has been packed tightly into the moving truck that currently sits in the driveway. As I thought of this, I couldn't help but imagine how convenient it would be if the truck was big enough to fit the entire house into. Well, not just the house; also my school, my friends, the beach… Actually, why stop there? Why can't we just shove the entire state of California into the truck? That way I wouldn't have to miss any of it, when I get to Albuquerque.

If only my best friend Taylor were to come with me, I'd be perfectly fine. I would fully try to stow her away in the truck if I could. Unfortunately, my mother won't even let me attempt something at that. Besides, Taylor would never leave Los Angeles. She _likes_ it here. As do I! But that didn't stop anyone from ignoring all my pleas to stay here, now did it?

Ugh, this is all so completely ridiculous. Why am I moving to Albuquerque, anyway? I know that it's where my parents met and fell in love and all that, but why does that mean we have to move there? I mean, I'm sixteen, for crying out aloud! Don't I deserve to be able to give some input on whether or not we move? Jeez.

"Sharpay!" My mother called, bringing me back to reality. I was still sitting in the middle of the empty living room and she was standing at the doorway to the front porch, looking over at me.

"What?" I asked, bewilderedly.

She crossed her arms and raised any eyebrow. "Sharpay, you _do_ know what today is, don't you?" I shrugged. What day was it? Tuesday? No, wait. It's Groundhog's Day, isn't it? Before I could even open my mouth to make a guess, my mother continued, "It's Moving Day. As in, we are moving. Today. Now would you please, come out to the car so we can _leave_?"

Um, how about 'no'? Just leave without me, mom. Go ahead. I won't mind, I promise. I'll just move in with the McKessie's, really. I'm sure they won't mind. Honestly, Taylor's parents love me! (Sometimes.)

I, of course, didn't say any of that out loud, though. I just stared at her, quietly, until she turned away and walked back out the front door. When she got outside I heard her talking to Dad, assuring him that I was on my way out. And at that moment, I felt suddenly compelled to scream. So I did.

And it a little more than just a scream, it was like a high-pitched shriek. One of those screams that could surely shatter your eardrums if you were standing too close. And it was pretty loud too, so I wouldn't be shocked if the whole neighborhood had heard it. Luckily, everyone on this block was used to my sporadic temper tantrums, so they've learned to just ignore them and move on. Something I doubted that the citizens of Albuquerque would be able understand.

I finally started to saunter out of the house, towards the car. Both of parents were already sitting in the front seats of the car; Dad in the driver's seat, Mom in the passenger's. I saw their faces well up with relief and excitement as I reached the car. When I drew the car door open and climbed in, my mom immediately turned around and said, "Sharpay, this will be fun. It's like an adventure. You've lived in only one place for your whole life, moving somewhere else sounds exciting, don't you think?"

"Oh yes, mother. I'm completely thrilled. Why didn't we do this sooner?" I responded, dryly. I don't think it will ever be possible for me to more sarcastic than I was being right in that moment. "Now, let's get this over with. I'll be asleep if anyone needs me."

With that, I leaned my head against the car window and peacefully closed my eyes.

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_Yay, one chapter down! :D Now, I have no choice but to continue. haha, this chapter is incredibly short. I'll try to update as soon as possible. I haven't even started writing the next chapter yet, though. So bare with me. _

_Also, reviews wouldn't hurt. In fact, they'd be greatly appreciated. :D_


	2. Chapter 2: First Impressions

_Thank you to everyone who put me on either Author Alert or Story Alert, after the first chapter. I believe that are seven people who have done so. So thanks to all of you; you know who you are. ;D_

_Now without further ado, here's chapter two! _

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Welcome to Albuquerque.

That was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes: a huge sign on the side of the road, welcoming me to the largest city in New Mexico — and my new home. I found the sign was quite comforting, in a weird way. I guess the fact that it didn't say something like 'Welcome to Hell' or 'Welcome to Your Doom' was enough to make me slightly less wary about moving here.

I shifted uneasily, as I was still strapped in to my seat in the car. Surprising, I had managed to sleep mostly the entire 11-hour drive over here. But now, I was just uncomfortable and tired of being in this car.

"Are we almost there? I'm dying back here," I called to my parents in the front seats, as I still struggled to get back into a comfortable position. I seriously needed out of this car. Not just because I wanted to stretch out, but because I needed _oxygen_ and my mom refused to roll her window down.

"Calm down, Sharpay. Good things come to those who wait," my father responded.

"Well, something _really_ good better be coming then," I huffed, before crossing my arms over my chest and looking out the window at all the houses we were passing by, knowing that soon I would be seeing the house that I'll living be in.

I wonder what this place will be like. I'd lived in one place my whole life, so I didn't really know what to expect. I told myself that I wasn't even going to think about it, but I can't help it. I'm going to be starting school in the middle of junior year. I'm going to be the new girl. What if nobody likes me? What if I'm forced to live the rest of my high school life in total and complete loneliness?!

Ugh, I don't even know why I'm thinking like this. I must be delirious. I just seriously need to get the heck out of this freaking car!

Just then, right on cue, the car stopped suddenly. We were parked in some house's driveway. _Our_ house's driveway, I supposed. I literally jumped out of the car as soon as I was able to wrestle my seatbelt off and get the door open.

Finally. Some _air_.

After spending a minute or two, breathing it all in, I turned my attention to my parents, who were just now getting out of the car. And then, I turned to the house.

My first impression of the house was pretty good. It was quite nice looking. I mean, I could actually see myself living there. From the outside, it wasn't too different from the old house, which is probably why my parents chose it.

Kudos to them. They'd actually done something right.

I saw that my parents were now walking towards the house, like they were about to go inside, so quickly I followed behind them.

When my father opened the door, I don't know why but I was actually caught off guard by how empty it was. I don't know what I had expected to see, but this wasn't it. It was completely bare, just like my house in Los Angeles had been before we left.

"When is our stuff getting here?" I asked, staring at the plain, empty walls.

"Tonight!" my mother called, sounding like she was already in a completely different room. She and Dad were probably giving themselves a tour of the new house.

I supposed that since they were scoping out the downstairs, I should go check out the rooms upstairs. Plus, if I got there first, maybe I could talk them into letting me have the master bedroom.

The first door I opened, upon walking up the stairs, was definitely the master bedroom. It was _huge_. It looked as though it was big enough for about three beds. And it had it's own private bathroom. And the closet… the closet was amazing. Finally, a closet big enough to fill _all_ of my clothes in. Yes, I can definitely see myself living in here.

But just to be on the safe side, I decided I should go look at the other room. You know, so I don't end up giving my parents too small of a room. So, I walked across the hall to, what I assumed the door to, the other bedroom.

But right when I opened the door, I froze. Not because it was wasn't the right room, because it was. But there was one window in the room. A pretty big one at that. And right across from it was the neighbor's house, and their window. And okay, here's the reason why I froze. Through the neighbor's window, I saw the absolute most gorgeous human being I'd ever seen in my life. And he was sitting in his room, watching TV.

He had most perfectly tanned skin. And his hair was chestnut brown and swept lazily over his eyes, which by the way, were as blue as a cloudless sky. He was casually attired in a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

And apparently he was unaware that I was looking at him, because suddenly he stood up and took his shirt off.

My gaze continued to rivet on him. On his truly impressive six-pack … the light smattering of fair hair that covered his chest before snaking down that six-pack and disappearing into the waistband of his jeans … his thoroughly impressive biceps.

I really didn't want to stare, but _damn_. And his window was wide open, it was kind of hard not to look.

Then unexpectedly his head turned my way, just as I was staring — and literally fell to the floor.

Great. I just moved next door to incredibly attractive guy, I've already ruined it. I don't think I'll ever be able to get up from this floor again. I should just lay here and wait to die, I deserve it.

Or maybe I'm just being paranoid and he didn't even notice me. It's a long shot, but still a possibility.

Right then, I heard the doorbell ring. Maybe the moving truck came early? I pried myself off the floor, and walked down the stairs to the front door. I opened it anxiously, and then drew in my breath sharply as I stared at the person who stood before me.

Oh. My. God.

_

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_

_Hmm... who's at the door? You're gonna have to wait until next chapter to find out ;] Although I'm sure you guys already have it figured it out. Honestly, it's not very hard to guess. haha._

_And I apologize, for any spelling or grammar errors that I may have made. It's a curse, because I type really fast (:_


	3. Chapter 3: Awkward Beginnings

_Come on, people! Please REVIEW! Don't be shy. I want/need the feedback. :D Everyone who reads this chapter should leave a review, it will make me want to update faster. I need your motivation to go foward!_

_And now that I'm done whining about that: On with Chapter 3!_

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"Hello," I heard my mother cheerfully say from downstairs. Oh, god. She answered the door. I'm going to die.

You see, after I saw who was at the door, I panicked. So I ended up slamming the door in their face and running back up the stairs, in screaming terror. That probably wasn't the smartest move, but whatever. I am now carefully positioned at the top of the stairs, where I can see my mom, but no one can see me.

"I'm so sorry about my daughter," she continued. "I honestly don't know why she's always slamming doors in people's faces."

"You mean, she does stuff like this often?" I heard _him_ ask. Yes, _him_. The hot guy from the window was standing at my front door.

"Yeah, well, it's just a normal everyday type thing for her. You eventually get used to it," I heard my father say.

Oh, god. Now, not only does he think I'm a creeper for staring at him, through his window. But now he thinks I'm some kind of crazy, with a temperament issue, who randomly goes around slamming doors for no reason. Thanks a lot, Dad.

And oh no. My mom just invited him in. And he's not alone. He has his parents with him? Hm, they must be here to welcome us to the neighborhood or whatever.

Good lord, what if he told his parents that I was gawking at him? What if he tells _my_ parents? Honestly, at this point, I'm fully convinced that I'm die here on this floor. This just isn't my day.

Just then, my mother called me downstairs. "Sharpay! Come down and meet our new neighbors!"

"I can't. I'm, uh, stuck to the floor," I lied, sheepishly, not bothering to take the time to come up with a more clever lie.

Next thing I knew my mom was running up the stairs to come get me. When she got up to the top, she squatted down next to me. "Sharpay, I know meeting new people is scary. But you might make a new friend. The Boltons have a son around your age. And he's kind of a hottie."

"Mother!" I screamed at her in horror. Did she just call an under-aged boy a 'hottie'? He's got to be, at least, half her age! I swear, she's going to go cougar on me, one of these days. Poor dad, he won't even see it coming.

She shrugged off my outburst and said, "Just come downstairs and meet them." Then she stood up and proceeded down the stairs, with me reluctantly following behind her.

When I got to the bottom of the stairs, _he_ was the first thing I noticed. He was casually leaning against the wall, in the same clothes he'd been wearing when I saw him in the window (he had put shirt was back on, of course) and appeared to be texting; his eyes were cast down at his cell phone, in his hands. But for some reason, when he noticed me come down the stairs, he stuffed his phone into his pocket and started smiling at me. I swear, his smile, in itself, put my heart into overdrive and I felt like I was going to faint.

"Okay, this is my daughter, Sharpay," said my mom, who'd I forgot was even standing next to me.

"Hello," I said, awkwardly, to the three strangers in the room. I felt like I should also apologize to them about slamming the door in their faces, but I decided against it. Meanwhile, my eyes were still locked on the gorgeous dude from the window.

"Hey. I'm Troy," he said as he walked over to me, holding his hand out for me to shake. I grabbed his hand a little too eagerly, and soon as I touched him, I'd suddenly forgot how to move. So, the handshake didn't really go as a shake. I was just sort of holding his hand. Which was nice. But when I realized what I was doing, I pulled my hand away abruptly and hung my head down to stare at the floor.

God, Sharpay. Way to be awkward.

I turned my head to look at mom, but she wasn't there. And neither was father, or Troy's parents. But I could faintly hear their voices coming from another room in the house.

What the hell? They left me alone with him? Did they really think that was a good idea? Leaving two teenagers—a boy and a girl—alone in a room together? I mean, it's not like we were going to _do_ anything, we just met. But honestly, it's just the principle! Don't they realize—

"So, how do you like it here so far?" Troy suddenly asked, cutting into my thoughts. And I couldn't help but swoon at his attempt to make conversation with me, even though his first impression of me could not have been going well.

"Uh, I don't know," I replied, hesitantly. "I just got here."

"Well, I was just wondering. Because you seemed to enjoy the view from the upstairs window, quite well."

At first, I had no idea what he was talking about. I was fully about about to ask him what he meant, when I remembered: _The window. He took his shirt off. I stared. He saw me._

I could feel my face getting very warm, and I could only pray that I wasn't blushing as hard as I thought I was. "Um, I'm sorry. I-I didn't…I mean, the window. It was wide open and—"

Troy started laughing, and my heart suddenly jerked and began pounding hard. God, he was beautiful. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. It's actually my fault. I'm not used to having neighbors. So, I never close my blinds."

"Well, maybe you should try it," I muttered, under my breath. I looked back up at him and he was smiling. It must've been contagious, because I found myself smiling too. Though, I'm not even sure what I was smiling about.

"Troy!" His mother called, as she, and the other adults, started filing back into the living room. "We should head home and give these people some time to adjust," she said, pushing him towards the door. On their way out the door, she called over her shoulder, "See you guys later on! We'll be here to help you unpack."

They're gonna help us unpack? Which means _Troy_ is going to be helping _me_ unpack. Oh, god. I don't know whether to be completely thrilled, or completely weirded out.

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_Hmm.. this chapter was pretty lame, right? Ick, I'm sorry. I'll try to make the next chapter better._

_And as always, I'd like to apologize for any errors I made. Whether it may have been spelling, grammar, or punctuation. I swear, I hardly ever proofread._


	4. Chapter 4: Likable Smiles

_Sorry, I took so long to update this. I'm such a procrastinator, it's ridiculous. ;] I think this chapter happens to be way longer than the previous ones, though. So I hope that makes up for me making you wait forever, :D_

_Again, don't forget to review. _

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After Troy and his parents left, all that I could do from that point was wait for the movers to show up. And since we didn't have any furniture to sit on, I had to so while standing.

Pacing, actually. As opposed to standing in one spot, I was pacing back and forth across the empty living room. On one hand, I was doing this simply because there was nothing else to do. And on the other hand, I was doing this because I was anxious.

Anxious for the movers to get here. Anxious to get started-and eventually finish-unpacking. And anxious to see _him_ again. _Troy_, he had said his name was. I sighed dreamily, to myself, as I thought of him. Hopefully, I don't screw up and act all weird in front of him again.

"Sharpay!" I heard my mother suddenly yell. Wow. I'd forgotten she and dad were here. "Stop pacing like that, you're going to scuff up the floor." I did as she said and stopped. Then I went over to the front door, to open it slightly, for some air. It's been getting a little stuffy in here.

As I opened the door, I immediately noticed that there was a truck in the driveway. A _huge_ truck. In fact, it looked exactly like the one we'd packed all our stuff into, back in California…

"Yay! The truck is here!" I squealed happily to my parents, before I bolted out the door and out to the front yard.

The movers had already started unloading things out of the truck and setting them down on the lawn. When I spotted one box, in particular, I rushed right over to it, with full intention of taking it up to my room. It was clearly marked 'Sharpay's stuff'.

I eagerly tried to lift it, with no luck at all. I couldn't lift the thing even one inch off the ground. Either this box was extremely heavy, or I have no upper body strength whatsoever. We'll go with the box is really heavy.

Just as I was about to attempt to merely _push_ the box across the lawn, I received a tap on my shoulder. "May I help you?" I asked, without looking up or turning behind me to see who it was, because I had just assumed it was either my mom or dad.

"More like, may _I_ help _you_?" the person answered, just before they came into my view and stood in front of me. And I felt my breathing hitch as I looked up to see none other than Troy, standing over me. "Would you mind if I carried that for you?" he asked, gesturing to my box.

I stared at him for a long time, without saying anything. It was like I'd forgotten how to speak. "Oh, um, no. I mean, you don't have to…" I finally started to say but trailed off, when I noticed he was already in the process of lifting it. "Be careful, I think it might be heavy," I warned him, even though he didn't seem to be having any trouble with it, at all. Which I found thoroughly impressive, and in such case, I had to literally tear my eyes away from his biceps to prevent myself from possible drooling.

"Um, okay," I said, looking away from him and towards the ground. Be strong, Shar. Don't look at his arms. "That box goes in my room, which is upstairs, and..."

"Yeah, I know. I'll take care of it," said Troy, cutting in as my sentence started to trail off. "Do you have any other boxes that go to your room?" I nodded, and he continued, "Go find them and I'll take those next."

"Really?" I asked, daring to look back up at him again. "I mean, I can just ask my dad to take my other ones. You don't have to do it."

"It's no problem. I don't mind," he said with a smile, then went on carrying the box into the house.

...

The rest of the moving day was all hard work. With all the heavy boxes. Not to mention all the larger items, such as the sofas, TV, cabinets, beds, dressers, nightstands, etc. It's almost ridiculous, all the lifting and hauling that's involved.

And actually, I sort of just watched as everyone else did the lifting and hauling. I'm too weak to carry anything, so I was of no use to anyone. But after Troy had taken all off my boxes up to my room, and he and my dad had brought up my bed, my vanity, and my dressers, I just went ahead and started unpacking and decorating my room.

After doing a fair amount of unpacking in my room, I was fully ready to go take a nap. Or at least, lie down. It's been a long day. I walked over to the light switch, flicked it to off, and then went to collapse onto my bed.

Suddenly, I heard a light knock on my door. As I was in no mood to get up and open the door, I just called to the person on the other side of the door and said, "Come in. The door is not locked."

The door opens slowly and in walks none other than Troy. Which probably would've made me immensely giddy if he hadn't flicked the light switched on, on his way in.

"Oh my god!" I screeched, as buried my head underneath my blanket to hide from the light. My eyes were very sensitive to the light as I had already adjusted to the darkness.

"Ah, I live next door to a vampire. Nice," Troy said, before flicking the light switch back to off.

Upon noticing that it was now dark again, I crawled back out from underneath the covers and sat up on my bed, with my back against the headboard. Through the darkness, I could see Troy making his way over to my bed, and then taking a seat.

With that, my heart started pounding like a hammer. He wasn't sitting extremely close to me or anything. I mean, he was on the opposite end of the bed. But there was still something off about having a boy I'd just met, in my room. On my bed. With the lights off.

"So, where you move here from, again?" Troy asked me, suddenly.

"California. Los Angeles, to be exact. Near the beach," I answered, surprised at the fact I hadn't stuttered or taken an incredibly long pause before answering him. Like I'd been doing so far, almost every other time he talked to me. I guess, the fact that it was dark and I could barely even see him was making me brave.

"Vampires like the beach?" he inquired.

"This one does," I mused, happy to play along with his little vampire quip. He didn't say anything back but I could see that he was smiling. "I like your smile," I said.

I widened my eyes in horror, when I realized what I had just said. I hadn't meant to say that out loud. I'd just meant to _think_ it. Oops. Maybe the darkness is making me a little _too_ brave.

Troy looked up at me, and I could only hope that it was dark enough for him not to be able to tell that I was blushing. "Thanks," he said, still smiling.

"You're welcome," I muttered, smiling back at him.

He looked like he was about to say something else, when his father called from downstairs "Troy. We're going home now."

"Alright, I'm coming," Troy yells back, before turning back to me and saying, "Well, this has been fun. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow, Shar."

"You called me Shar?" I questioned. It wasn't that nobody had ever called me that. My best friend Taylor called me Shar. It's just that it sounded ten times better, when Troy said it.

"Um, yes.. Is it alright if I call you that?" he asks, as he eases himself off of my bed and stands up.

"Yes!" I said, a little too eagerly, but I didn't care. Because he called me Shar. And I'd also clearly heard him say "_hang out tomorrow_".

"Awesome," he said, right before he started walking out of the room. Then to my surprise, when he got about halfway out the door, he stopped and said, "By the way, I like your smile too."

...

After Troy left—and after I nearly fainted when he told me that he liked my smile—I went to go take a shower and get into my pajamas. I walk back into my room, after telling my parents good night, with full intentions of going right to sleep. Upon entering my room, I glance out my window and notice that Troy's light is on in his room. And that he still hasn't closed his blinds.

Good lord. Of course, that would be the absolute _first _thing I notice. God forbid he take his shirt off again. Otherwise, I won't be getting any sleep tonight.

Just as I was about to go and close my own blinds, I noticed that Troy wasn't alone in his room. There was a girl in there. A girl with soft, brunette curls and dark brown eyes.

What the hell? He has company over, at this time of night? It's got to be at least midnight!

Luckily, neither of them were looking in my direction. And then, here comes the biggest shock of all: he kissed her! It wasn't some gross unsightly make-out session, where he was shoving his tongue down her throat; it was just the smallest measly peck. But it was right on the lips, that much is true.

Oh my god, _please_. Please don't tell me that's his girlf— You know what? No. I'm not even gonna go there. I'm just going to look away, close my blinds, and go to bed. I am determined to go to sleep tonight with nothing but happy thoughts in my head.

Happy thoughts include: Troy. Troy's smile. Troy's voice. Troy's hair. Troy's laugh. Troy calling me Shar. Troy asking me to hang out him tomorrow. Troy saying he likes my smile…

Yes, these are all very happy thoughts indeed.

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_Hmm… so what did you guys think of this? (:  
__I wrote and rewrote this chapter had so many times, I was going crazy. I wanted it to be perfect. But perfection is unattainable, so we're stuck with this. Haha._

_Sorry if any parts of this are confusing or anything; sometimes I really suck as a proofreader. :|_

_Btw, this has nothing to do with the story but "Charlie St. Cloud" comes out in 4 days! Everyone should go see it. It looks like a really good movie. Plus; we need to support Zac, because we love him. (:_


	5. Chapter 5: Walking With Strangers

_Oh, wow. You guys must hate me. It's been four months since I last updated this story. I'm so sorry. I wonder if I even have any readers anymore. :o __I just started college back in August, and I've spending this time getting adjusted. The semester's pretty much over at this point, though. And I'm almost out for winter break, so I'll try to update more frequently. (:_

_Quick disclaimer; I don't High School Musical or the song "Sugar We're Going Down"._

_

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This morning I woke up to the sound of someone blasting "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fall Out Boy on their stereo.

"_We're going down, down in an earlier round  
__And Sugar, we're going down swinging.._"

What the hell?

With my eyes still closed and my head buried underneath my blanket, I reached for my phone, which sat on the nightstand next to my bed, and pulled it underneath the covers with me, so I could check the time. Why on earth would someone be blasting their music at…_8AM_? Don't they know people are trying to sleep? Ugh.

I tried burying my head deeper underneath my pillow to block the sound, but to no avail. I could still hear it loud and clear.

".._I'll be your number one with a bullet  
__A loaded God complex, cock it and pull it.."_

Frustrated, I get out of my bed, and storm angrily towards the window. Whoever is out there blasting their music is about to get an earful. I don't how they do things here in New Mexico, but in California, we respect that people need their beauty sleep. And I am not pleasant before 9AM.

I pulled up the blinds and opened the window, so I could yell at whoever it was. I'd even gotten my mouth all ready to say, 'Turn down your fcking music' and everything. But when I actually realized who the person playing the music was, I froze.

He was lying on his bed, with his arms underneath his head, facing the ceiling. And his culprit stereo was sitting on the side of his bed.

I lowered my head in defeat. I can't yell at _him_.

He reached over towards the stereo, like he was about to change the station, when looked up and saw me. "Hey Sharpay," he said, smiling at me.

"Hi Troy…" I said, sheepishly. This was already the second time he'd caught me looking at him. And I've only known him for less than 24 hours. Ugh. At least, he had shirt on this time.

"Did the music wake you up?" he asked me.

Um, yes. Are you kidding me? Of course, it woke me up. That's what happens when you blast rock music from your stereo, at eight, on a Sunday morning. It wakes people up. I didn't really want to say any of this to him, though. So instead, I lied and said: "Nope. I was already up."

Troy nodded and said, "Oh, right. Because vampires don't sleep." He chuckled.

"Exactly," I said, not being able to help laughing along with him.

"Are you still up for hanging with me today?" was the next thing he asked me.

To which, I eagerly replied: "Oh, yes! Of course!" Believe it or not, I'd actually completely forgotten that he had asked me to hang out with him. Which is insane, considering it was all I could think about last night. And I had the hardest time falling asleep because of this.

"Awesome. I've gotta shower first, though. I'll be over in about fifteen," he said, he stepped out his room and consequently, out of my view. It wasn't at all wise of him to say this, because at this point, I can't stop fantasizing about him in the shower. _Good lord._

I skipped over to my closet to pick out something to wear. It wasn't until now that I realized that the whole time I'd been talking to Troy, I'd been in pajamas. I looked down at Hello Kitty PJ's and frowned. I've known this guy for a day, and he's already seen me at my worst. But if he noticed, he didn't seem to mind.

I quickly got dressed and then run downstairs to eat a quick breakfast, before Troy gets here. You know, when he finishes _showering_.

This is how my father greets me when I enter the kitchen: "Wow, Sharpay. Out of bed and dressed before noon. On a Sunday. To what, do we owe this pleasant surprise?" Which probably would've earned him a dirty look on any other day. But right now, I'm in a good mood. So I let it slide.

"Troy asked me to hang out with him today," I said casually, as I made myself a bowl of cereal.

"Oh, that's nice," my mother chimed in. "See, Sharpay? You were worried about moving and you've already made a new friend."

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, brushing her off, as I tried to scarf down my entire bowl of cereal as fast as I could, so would be done by the time Troy got here. I heard my dad to make some snide comment along the lines of "whoa, someone's hungry." And this time, I actually did shoot him a dirty look.

Just as I finished and went to drop my empty bowl in the sink, the doorbell rang. I let out a high-pitched squeal - which caused both my parents to cover their ears. _Troy is here! Troy is here!_, the little voices in my bed were singing, as I excitedly skipped over the front door.

"Hey Shar," Troy said, smiling at me, as soon as I opened the door.

"Hey," I said weakly. Every time he smiles at me, I feel like I'm about to faint. This can't be healthy. "What are we going to be doing today?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know yet." Then he looked past me, over at my parents, who were still seated in the kitchen. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Evans," he called out to them.

"Hi Troy," they said back, in unison.

"Bye, you guys. Be back later." I said to them, then stepped outside with Troy, and locked the door behind me. "So have you figured out what were going to do yet?" I ask Troy.

"Yeah, I was thinking we could go for a walk."

"A _walk_? As in _walking_?" I questioned, looking at him incredulously.

"What? People don't walk in California?" he asked, teasingly. "Or is it a vampire thing? You don't like walking around in the daytime?"

I shrugged. "Call me psycho, but I just don't see the appeal in walking as an activity."

"I'm calling you psycho," Troy said in a half-joking tone and chuckled softly. Then he caught me off guard, by grabbing my hand and casually pulling me with him as he started walking forward. "Let's go. It'll be fun."

…

"So why exactly did you move to Albuquerque?" Troy asked me. He was walking beside me, with his hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans. I looked down at my own hands, which were at my side, and frowned.

It'd been a while since Troy had let go of my hand. But ever since he'd let it go, I've been wishing he would take it again. I was happy to give it to him. To the rest of body, my hand suddenly felt like a stranger. Like a baby bird that had been held by a human, so it couldn't go back home again.

"My parents grew up here," I finally said. "They want me to graduate from their alma mater."

"Which is?" Troy asked, tilting his head to the side, indicating interest.

"East High."

"Awesome!" he exclaimed, suddenly, making my heart pound like a jackhammer.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Awesome?"

"That's where I go," he said, simply.

"Oh?" A wide smile crept its way across my face. I hadn't even stopped to consider that fact that I might be attending the same school as Troy. Every time the thought of school rose up in my mind, it was accompanied by thoughts of the horror I would have to face for being the new girl, who transferred in the middle of the semester.

Troy was walking about two steps ahead of me, when he'd stopped, turned back to look at me and said, "Hey, do you think we should turn around and start walking back home now?"

"Already?" I asked, hoping the reluctance in my voice was obvious. I really didn't want to go home yet. I just wanted to stay with him.

"Yeah," he said. And it could've just been wishful thinking on my part, but he sounded pretty reluctant, as well. "We've been out for a few hours now. And tomorrow's your first day of school, so you probably want to get ready."

"No, I don't," I mumbled quietly, mostly to myself. I'm not even sure whether he heard me or not.

"Plus, I don't want to be out here when it starts getting dark," Troy continued. "I can't be too sure you're not gonna turn on me and try to suck my blood, the first chance you get."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Then I lightly punched his arm. "Shut up."

"Ouch," he said, rubbing his arm, although I knew hadn't actually hurt him because he was laughing. "See? You're already getting hostile."

I hit his arm again. "I'm not hostile."

* * *

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That's what reviews are for, my dears. :)_


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